Before November of 1994,Mick Foley's only tour of japan came in january of 1991 when he toured with Shoeil "Giant" Baba's All Japan Pro Wrestling for 2 weeks.Although Baba was impressed with Cactus Jack he didnt like the over the top way he took bumps and his all around ring attire,the japanese press upon getting ther first look of Cactus dubbed him the "American Onita" saying his style and mannerisms were similar of Frontier Martialarts Wrestling founder,Atsushi Onita,who brought hardcore style wrestling to japan.After that tour Cactus Jack would not be seen in Japan for 2 years.In August of 1994 Terry Funk signed a contract to work at least 40 dates for the IWA promotion in Japan.The promotion that was spawned from a FMW shake up was headed by Victor Quines (the man who brought Super Crazy and Tajiri to America)Quines took wresters that defected from FMW and wrestlers looking for work since W*ING (Wrestlings International New Generation)went defunct and formed the IWA.Deathmatches were the IWAs specialty along with hard hitting wrestling much like its counterpart in Japan,FMW,but Terry Funk was the big name that brought fans to the IWA.Cactus Jack was also offered the same dates as The Funker but turned down the offer because he was satisifed with his carrer in the states,but when Terry Funk himself asked Mick to come to japan a legendary rivalry was spawned.So Cactus aggreed and along with Tracy Smothers and Dick Slater along with Funk became the only regular touring Gajins (foreign wrestlers in japan) in the IWA.Cactus Jack's first match in the IWA would be a tag team barbed wire death match pitting him and Tracy Smothers (as the New Jason The Terrible) Vs Terry Funk and Shoji Nakamaki.The match was a violent bloodbath seeing Cactus Jack and Terry Funk take there fued international,and the first meeting of Cactus and the japanese Danger man Shoji Nakamaki. Cactus Jack and Tracy Smothers would end up the victors in this bloody battle.This match was taken all over japan only with partners being switches such as Leatherface substiuting for Tracy Smothers.It was a cold night in December in the Ikenburo Section of Japan, for the first time ever Cactus Jack and Terry Funk would square off in a No rope Barbed Wire Deathmatch.In that little 1200 seat auditorum these 2 hardcore warriors went to lengths of extreme that had never been seen before.We saw they use the dangerous barbed wire in every way that you could imagine, at one point in the match Cactus Jack layed the batterd and bloodied Funker against the ropes and tried to go for his patented Cactus Clotesline over the ropes,Funk moves and Cactus does a hangman into the barbed wire with his head caught between the barbs,the barbed wire gave way with Cactus hitting the ground ripping one whole side of the wire out getting it caught in both of his hands. Cactus would go on to recover but not at a price.Later on the 2 would battle on the floor.Cactus DDTs Funk on the floor,he is handed a chair wrapped in a gasoline soaked towel one of the ring attendes lights it and THE FIRE CHAIR IS BORN!!!!! He hits funker with it but the whiley old veteran took every shot and then reverwed a attempted hiptoss on the chair,he hiptossed Cactus on the chair and then went behind the curtain and got a weapon of his own, his trusty BRANDING IRON that he in turn lit on fire and in the same fashion he would do at the ECW arena just a month later he dug the branding iron DEEp into the chest of Cactus jack, you could hear him scream all over the place (if you dont beleve me go find a copy of this match on video tape its called Duel Of The Wilds)they enterd the ring and Funk hit is legendary SPINNING TOE HOLD Cactus would kick out of it and kick him straight into the barbed wire as soon as he came off he hit the double arm ddt for the climatic win.Afterwards both men got to there feet, Terry Funk began calling for Cactus Jack, when they finally met both men hugged it got a standing ovation from the Japanese Crowd then Cactus went to raise Terrys hand but kicked him in the gut and deliverd a DDT instead.It was met with shocked silence.Cactus Jack fired the first shot in what would be a war that would make the IWA the most popular wrestling promotion in japan for the coming year.
Both Cactus Jack and Terry Funk would not wrestle in Japan for over a month after that,but when they did return to action in japan the fued was on, these 2 would compete in alot more of these type matches whether it woule be against each other or against differnt opponents.Cactus would team with Leatherface against Shoji Nakamaki and The Crypt Keeper in such sick deathmatches like, Barbed wire Brick,10,000 Thumbtacks,Glass bottles among others.One of these matches between the 4 lead to Crypt Keeper turning on Nakamaki and the now infamous IWA Apartment Deathmatch took place.Cactus would tour with IWA Japan through the winter months into summer most of those matches were deathmatches.In June of 1995,IWA annouced plans for a New Type of tournament,it would be called the KING OF THE DEATHMATCH Tournament.8 wrestlers 8 Sick Deathmatches with the final being the end all be all of Deathmatches.NO ROPE BARBED WIRE EXPLODING TIME BOMB DEATH MATCH.8 men would compete in that tournament.Cactus Jack,Terry Funk,Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy, Tiger Jeet Singh,Mr Gannosuke,Leatherface,Shoji Nakamaki,and Hiroshi Ono.Before the tournament,Cactus Jack formed an alliance with Tiger Jeet Singh.Singh a legend in his own right in Japan recurited Cactus jack after a match that he had with Funk where funk nearly put him out of wrestling,this alliance would become the most powerfull force in the IWA.On August 10th 1995 in front of nearly 25 thousand fans the King Of The Deathmatch Tournament took place.The Bracets for the tournament were set weeks earlier and set some interesting matches
First Round
Barbedwire Board Russain Chain Deathmatches
Mr Gannosuke vs Tiger Jeet Singh
Leatherface vs Terry Funk Second Round
Barbed Wire Baseball Bat 10,000 Thumbtacks Deathmatches
Cactus Jack vs Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy
Shoji Nakamaki vs Hiroshi Ono
Cactus would meet up with Terry Gordy in what was one of the sickest matches of the tournament. Gordy would dominated much of the match seeing him pile drive Cactus through a table,use the barbed wire baseball bat on him many times.But the sickest was when he Power Bombed him into the box of thumbtacks.As you can see from the picture below Cactus Jack was turned into a human pincushion.But Cactus would come back throwing Thumbtackes into the eyes of Gordy and then DDT him into the box of thumbtacks for the win.1 match down 1 more to go to get to the finals and the shot at IWA World Champion Tarzan Goto.Shoji Nakamaki went on to defeat Hiroshi Ono in there match and the semifinals were set.Nakakamai and Cactus would square off in a Bed Of Nails Deathmatch.The sun had started to set on the Kawasaki Stadium as the 2 warriors took to the ring.Both men went at it like animals finally in the middle of the match Cactus Jack would use the bed of nails,sliding one of the beds into the ring and proping it against the corner,but before he could use it,Nakamaki hit cactus with one of his patented head buts 2 more headbutts would send Cactus Jack into the bed of nails!!!!! A Screaming and bleeding Cactus Jack had to be pulled out of the bed by the referee while Nakamaki went to get a barbed wire board.Cactus would get the upper hand in the match actually thowing nakamaki over the top rope into the bed of nails on the other side of the ring,then came the kicker.Nakamaki blocked a attempt by cactus to suplex him into the bed then cactus kicked him in the nuts, and LAYED THE BED ON TOP OF NAKAMAKI, MOUNTED THE RING APRON AND ELBOW DROPPED THE BED OF NAILS INTO NAKAMAKI !!!! This was one of the sickest things i have ever seen.If you dont beleve me go find a copy of the tape its worth it.Nakamaki would get his revenge as he irish whipped Cactus back into the bed of nails he had been sent into earlier but to no avail.After a amazing aray of reversails and misses by both, Cactus Jack hit the double arm ddt onto a barbed wire board for the win.Terry Funk won his bed of glass deathmatch against Tiger Jeet Singh after Cactus interfeered and cost his partner.
It was now set.In
the King of The Deathmatch Final Cactus Jack vs Terry Funk.Cactus Jack said before that it would be his
honor to defeat Terry Funk in a deathmatch,Funk who was the biggest Gajin in the history of Purseou (Japanese
Wrestling)was the heavy favorite to win the whole thing.The match was even more violent than there
first Barbed Wire outing. But this time explosive barbed wire boards would come into play,After feeling
each other out Cactus Jack would get his chance to send Funk into the barbed wire,Funk blocked it then
set in on Cactus with his patented left jabs and finally send Cactus into the wire.Cactus would come
back with a serises of forearms knocking Funk to his knees right infront of the wire, trying to
duplicate the move he attempted in there last barbed wire match, cactus charged funk, funk move and
Cactus jack went CROTCH FIRST into the wire.Cactus went outside for a breather but Terry Funk had other
things in mind,he tooke one of the explosive boards and set it in the middle of the ring.Now it was
time for the fans to see what they came there for, both men dualed trying to see who would send who
into the board first.Cactus finally got funker staggerd,a couple of forearm shots later Terry Funk would
stumble into the first of 4 barbed wire boards!!!!! Cactus had the advantage now but it would be his
turn next to taste the explosins as Funk would reverse a hip toss attempt and send Cactus into one of the
boards nearly setting him on fire.Funker took the fight outside the ring the two brawled all over the
placem funker had the upper hand at the 8 mintue mark when Tiger Jeet Singh came in to help his
partner.Unlike Cactus's assist Tigers was very helpfull as tiger attacked funk with the butt of
his sword and then they set one of the explosive boards up in the corner,whipped funker into the board
setting off a explosion, FUNK WENT CHEST FIRST INTO THE EXPLOSIVES!!!!!Tiger leaves and Cactus tries
to go for the pin.Now the countdown starts at the 5 mark Cactus Jack hits a spinning neck breaker on
funk and rolls out of the ring.Funk gets back up but stumbles to the ground,The RING EXPLODES well sorta
the pyrotecnics screwed up and only 4 of the 16 bombs went off.The Kawasaki Stadium crowed was highly
amused in fact they laughed at it but what happend next would stop there laughter.Cactus crawls back in
the ring funker grabs him and belly to back suplexes him into one of the bombs.BOTH MEN TOOK THE EXPLOSIVE!!!!,
it nearly knocked Funk out.Cactus jack rolls back out of the ring as the reffere is checking Funk out.He
comes back with a ladder, as funk gets up he hits him in the side of the head with the ladder them sets it up
,cactus then mounts the top of the nearly 20 foot ladder and hits a elbow drop.Then he mounts it again
but before he can get to the top funker gets up and stumbles into the ladder SENDING CACTUS JACK STRAIGHT
INTO THE BARBED WIRE CUTTING HIS FACE AND ARMS WIDE OPEN.Funk is too hurt to continue, Cactus some how makes
the cover and wins.CACTUS JACK WINS THE KING OF THE DEATHMATCH!!!!!!!
It was over,the most bloddy and violent day in professional wrestling was over.Cactus Jack became an
instant legend in both Japan and The US.Nobody had ever beaten Terry Funk in a deathmatch of this
sorts in years.After recievng his trophy *which after he dropped it in the locker room he never seen
it again* a extremly bloddy cactus went back to the locker room to cut a promo for the King Of The Deathmatch
tape,which i own and it is excellent.Here from that tape is that promo and it was among one of the best i have ever
heard.
"Theres a feeling deep in my stomach,cause i was happy in the united states,I was
happy there until Terry Funk signed with IWA.The Japanese press has called me the American Onita for
years and thats great.But when Terry Funk signed with IWA i didnt see a chance to make money,i saw a
chance to finally sleep at night,because the name Terry Funk has ate away at my guts for the last
three years because no matter how good i was, no matter how dangerous i was.I knew in my heart i could
never beat Terry Funk.AND IN MY HEART I DIDNT KNOW IF I COULD,IT WAS A QUEST!!!! Now with my body
battered.At last maybe i can find peace tiger, because i have beaten Terry Funk.Ive Beaten Terry Funk
*Tiger*There will be many many more times you know, this is not the last time you know *Cactus*King
of The Deathmatch, I dont feel like a king,i felt like shaking Terry Funks hand,but he walked away
from me he said he was hurt,WELL SO WAS I TERRY"
Cactus came out of the deal with a 3rd degree burn from the base of his wrist all the way to his shoulder,and had to have ober 500 stitches to his head,arms,face,back,and ears.Terry Funk was burned even worse both arms had 3rd degree burns in the smae places but he also was burnt badly on the left side of his back.After both men healed up Funk and Cactus would take there fued all over Japan, Cactus would also get his shot
at Tarzan Gotos IWA world title in a brutal bottles deathmatch that seen Goto actually carve
Cactus Jack up with a hammer.But he and Tiger Jeet Singh would end up breaking up as Tiger went
back into retirement,Leatherface would become his new Tag Team partner.The 2 would go on to win
the IWA world tag titles away from the Headhunters.But all good things must come to an end.In
November 1995 a dispute between many of the workers with IWA boss Mr Asano who was the backer of
the company over the direction of the company among other things.Victor Quiones took the IWA name
and most of the talent with him in the spilt ,Terry Funk,The Headhunters,Cactus Jack,Shoji Nakamaki
,Hiroshi Ono among others defected and either stoped working in Japan or defected to FMW.It was
at this point that Cactus Jack started negotiations with the WWF.But he had already booked himself
for some dates with FMW in May.WHen Mick signed with the WWF in january of 96 the WWF let him
keep all of his ECW and Japan commitments before his debut which was scheduled for after Wrestlemania
of that year.In may of that year Cactus Jack made his last apperance in Japan for FMW at there
7th anniversary show against W*ING Kanemura,defending his King Of The Deathmatch title in a
Barbed Wire Double Hell,Caribeian Glass Crash deathmatch.It was just as brutal as his match with
Terry Funk minus the emotion.Cactus Jack took Kanemura to new lengths of extreme, the put each other through
panes of glass,wrapped each other in Barbed wire but Cactus Jack retained his King Of the Deathmatch
title and it hasnt been taken from him since.After that he debuted in the WWF as Mankind
